The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
by xxlei
Summary: What if Haley had gone with Chris? What if Brooke broke up with Felix for good? What if Jake stayed with Peyton? What if Nathan slept with Taylor again? What if? .
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **What if Haley had gone with Chris? What if Brooke broke up with Felix for good? What if Jake stayed with Peyton? What if Nathan slept with Taylor again? What if? Takes place after last season's finale. R&R.

**Disclaimer: **I literally and absolutely own nothing.

A/N: I wasn't actually sure about the Peyton/Jake thing… in the episode didn't Peyton leave? But then they're back at school….? Please review! 

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The Thin Line Between Love and Hate 

"I- I can't do this," Haley said. There was silence.

"You aren't ready," Chris told her, and he picked up his bags. He walked down the stairs, and onto the bus. Haley stood out in the pouring rain, her clothes already soaked through. She stared at Chris through the darkened windows of the bus, watching him sit down and stare back. She saw the doors slowly close. For the first time in her life, she didn't think. She did. She ran down to the bus, and slid through the almost closed doors. The bus driver stared at her.

"Ticket?" he asked.

"I-" Haley started to say, but Chris stood up and cut her off.

"Right here," he said, and handed over her ticket.

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"I'm not falling for this again," Brooke said. She stared at Felix for a second, then got up off the bed. She walked out the side door, leaving Felix staring after her. As soon as she walked out into the rain, she knocked into someone and fell, landing on the wet ground. It was Lucas.

"You okay?" he asked, helping Brooke up. She was covered in mud, and was already soaking wet.

"I'm fine," she brushed herself off. "Anna is next door."

"I was looking for you. But I guess you're going somewhere."

"Just away from here," Brooke replied and began walking. Lucas ran after her.

"You want to go get something to drink?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'd like that," Brooke shivered.

"Here," Lucas handed her his jacket. Brooke shrugged it on, and the two of them walked down the street. Brooke started to go into Karen's Café, but Lucas grabbed her.

"Not there," he said, leading her across the street to another café. They sat down at a table, and a waiter asked them what they'd like.

"Hot chocolate," said Brooke.

"Me too," said Lucas. Brooke smiled as the waiter left.

"Being a kid was fun." Brooke stuck her hands in the pockets of the jacket. Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"Running around like a monster every day was fun?" Lucas laughed.

"The carefree part of that," Brooke replied. The hot chocolate came, and they both sipped it.

"Guess what I did today," Lucas said finally.

"What?" asked Brooke. Lucas twirled a coffee straw in the hot chocolate. He took a sip out of the straw.

"I kind of broke up with Anna," Lucas stared at the straw.

"Kind of?" Brooke said, more of a statement then a question.

"I did."

Brooke was silent.

"I said it was because—it was because I was in love with someone else," Lucas said, still staring down.

"Let's get out of here," Brooke said, and Lucas threw a few dollars down onto the table.

They walked out of the store, and down the street. It was still raining.

"Listen," Lucas said, pulling on Brooke's arm to make her stop. He started to say something, but closed his mouth again and stared down at Brooke.

Then, he kissed her.

She didn't resist. She kissed him back hard for a moment, then pushed him off of her, and ran down the street.

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad," Lucas whispered to no one in particular.

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Peyton woke up the next morning to Jake packing. She had gone to sleep with him next to her, so when she first rolled over and didn't see him there she thought something was wrong.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching Jake toss a t shirt into his bag.

"I've got to get back to Jenny," he replied. "And anyway, I don't want whore to come here. I don't know where she is, but…"

"Seattle." Peyton interrupted.

"What?" Jake stopped his packing.

"She's in Seattle. Me and Brooke just might of told her you were there…"

Jake smiled.

"Listen, I was thinking," Peyton continued.

"You do that a lot," Jake said softly.

"You should bring Jenny back. And stay. With me. Both of you," Peyton said, praying he'd agree.

"I can't."

"I need you," Peyton whispered. She hadn't intended to say that out loud. Jake stared at her for a while. Then, he shook his head, and began to throw his clothes into Peyton's drawers. Peyton jumped out of bed, and hugged him.

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"Hey, babe," Taylor opened the door and walked into the house, greeting Nathan. Nathan looked up from his video game to give her a look. "Where's the wife?"

"Out," Nathan told her.

"Oh, poor baby! Another fight?"

Nathan turned game off. "Listen, Taylor. I don't care what happened in the past. Stop it. It's not funny. You're not funny. One more time, and you're out."

"Oooh," said Taylor. "I like my men angry," she licked her lips. Nathan turned around and grabbed her shoulders, shoving her against the wall.

"I said, STOP it," he said, his face inches from hers. Taylor just stared at him. Then, she reached out her hand and placed it on Nathan's face. She kissed him, and he didn't break away. He loosened his grip and her shoulders. Taylor broke the kiss, and led him backwards to the couch. He fell on top of her.

"You won't tell anyone, will you, little brother?"

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**A/N: **Good? Bad? Ugly? Any suggestions? Fresh baked cupcakes for all who review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **What if Haley had gone with Chris? What if Brooke broke up with Felix for good? What if Jake stayed with Peyton? What if Nathan slept with Taylor again? What if? Takes place after last season's finale. R&R.

**Disclaimer: **The characters belong to some random person, but the story belongs to me. Not technically, but I like to think that.

A/N: This takes place RIGHT after last season's finale. So nothing that happened this season matters in this. PLEASE REVIEW! 

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Haley shifted around, trying to find a place with good enough light to read her book. The light bulb she had turned on above her was running out, and she was afraid to turn on any other lights, because half the bus was sleeping. Chris, who was on her left, was sleeping also. She hadn't talked to Chris for the entire ride. She wasn't ready. Ch ris had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had gotten on the bus, and she hoped he would stay asleep for the rest of the ride. She checked her watch. It was 12:01. Fourteen more minutes till they got to New York. Fourteen more minutes till she would officially be on tour with Michelle Branch. With the Wreckers. It was a moment Haley had been dreaming about since she was five years old. Then why did she feel like it was wrong? Why did she feel like she was making the biggest mistake of her life? She sighed, trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. She missed Nathan, though. She wanted to see him again, feel him again. She knew he would take her back. She knew he would. But what if he didn't? She didn't want to think about it. Haley knew she'd have to, sometime. She couldn't go on living like she and Nathan had never had the fight.

The bus ground to a halt, and the lights went on. Haley blinked, and looked out the window. She expected total darkness, maybe a few flashlights. It was midnight! Back in Tree Hill nothing would be open this late. But this city, New York, everything was lit up. Everything. People were walking on the streets, talking, yelling. If it hadn't been dark out, Haley would of thought it was the afternoon.

"Times Square," the driver yelled, and the doors opened. People began spilling off. Haley turned to Chris, and shook his arm.

"Chris?" she whispered. "Chris!" she said louder. He stirred, and opened his eyes. He grinned at her. The bus was empty. Even the driver had left. Slowly, Chris got up, and Haley followed suit. Chris turned to leave their seats, but stopped, and turned around again, facing Haley. He stared at her for a second, and then slowly reached out his hand and touched her cheek. Haley, too surprised to do anything, just stood there. Chris leaned in, and kissed her softly on the lips. Haley still did nothing, and finally Chris broke away.

"C'mon," he said, walking out. Haley touched her mouth unbelievingly, and followed him. The air was cold, and Haley shivered involuntarily. Chris took off his jacket, and strung it cross Haley's shoulders. They walked across the parking lot, and out onto the street.

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Nathan rolled in bed, trying to find a spot where the light didn't hit him. It was hard. He opened his eyes slowly, taking in the room. He turned over his shoulder to look for Haley, but all there was an empty space. _She's gone, _the voice in his head told him. He heard a sound, and turned to find Taylor wearing nothing but one of his shirts at the door.

"Up already?" she asked, and suddenly grinned. "Was the second time better than the first, little brother?" she asked. Nathan stared at her.

"Get out of my room," he demanded.

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on," Taylor muttered, but left.

_What the fuck have I done? _Nathan ran his hand through his hair. It was a honest mistake. He was drunk. And married. He couldn't remember much, but judging on the first time he would of liked it. He fingered the gold band on his finger. Fuck marriage. Fuck the ring. Fuck Haley. She's the one who had left him. He threw his ring on the floor, where it rolled a couple of times before landing in a crack on the floor. He pulled some clothes on as he walked over to the door, stopping to stare in the crack the ring had dropped. There was nothing there. It must have gone under the floor, he decided. Nathan walked through the door and into the kitchen. Taylor was standing by the sink. He walked over to her.

"Hey, babe. Want to get me a beer?"

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Lucas kicked some dirt. Brooke hadn't called him back, and it had been two days. Didn't that kiss mean anything to her? He was supposed to have gotten somewhere in their relationship by then. A call, even a rejection would be better than what he had. Nothing.

"_Ow_!" said a voice suddenly. Lucas looked up. Without realizing it, he had knocked into a girl. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry. You okay?" he asked her.

"No," she said, brushing herself off. "You ripped my best shirt. And it was freakin Marc Jacobs." She was a pretty girl, maybe 17, and had long dark hair and green eyes, but her attitude didn't match it. Her shirt, a blue military style tee, was hanging half off her shoulder. "350 bucks. You paying?" In any other situation, Lucas would of payed up, but she was annoying him.

"No. You fell. I'm not paying for your shirt. Get a tailor," he said.

"You can't just 'fix' a Marc Jacobs shirt," the girl said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She didn't seem to feel up for any more arguing, so she handed him a slip of paper. "My card," she said. "Call my assistant and she'll give you an address to send the check." She walked off. Lucas looked after her in shock. An _assistant_? Who had an _assistant_? He checked the card. Her name was Alex. She owned something called Night. A club, Lucas guessed. What 17 year old owns a club? He pocketed the card. How could Alex have been so stupid? He wasn't going to call. She didn't know his name, even. She was screwed. And Lucas had just kept 350 bucks.

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**A/N: **I don't know what I think of this story anymore. I'm getting a little bit bored with it. Review, and I will give you a chocolate chip cookie. Or a sugar cookie. Whichever you want.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **What if Haley had gone with Chris? What if Brooke broke up with Felix for good? What if Jake stayed with Peyton? What if Nathan slept with Taylor again? What if?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**A/N:** So I haven't really been following this season, which is sad because I'd really like to be but I got too far lost somewhere along if the way and I have no idea what's going on (if someone would like to fill me in, I'd be very grateful!) This is just basically a continuation of the story that I sort of abandoned from, what, like two seasons ago? Oh my god, is Bryan Greenberg still on the show? I love him! He better not of left! Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed!

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Peyton lay down on her bed, staring at her ceiling. She smiled. She was happy, finally. And glad. This was bound to happen. Surprising, yes, but she had always known that boys and girls couldn't be "just friends," no matter how cliché that sounds. Too much of a physical attraction. She laughed out loud at herself.

Out of nowhere, the phone rang. She sat up reluctantly and picked it up.

"Hi," said a cool voice. "Is this Peyton?"

"Yes," she said. She couldn't place the voice.

"I just wanted you to know that I've hired and private detective. I know Jake's there and I will get Jenny back."

"And we'll sue," Peyton shot back. How did she get her number?

"I'll win," she replied. She paused for a moment. "I am her mother."

She hung up.

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Nathan was hungover. Really hungover. Taylor had took him to a club last night. It was a new one, called Night, and Taylor knew the owner, so he had gotten in. It was a real city club, like the ones he had been to in New York when he went with his father for business. There was test tubes of coke on the table, and the line for the bathroom was out the front door. Mostly because anyone in the bathroom had passed out. He had grabbed a ball and ran out the door before Taylor woke up, over to the basketball courts. He wanted to shoot this off before he went to school.

But Lucas was already there. He smiled when he saw Nathan and walked over to him.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Nathan said nothing. "How are you doing?" Lucas continued worriedly. "You don't look so well."

"I just --" he broke off. "I just don't feel so well."

"Oh," Lucas said. He half smiled. "What were you doing last night?"

"I kind of met…" he trailed off.

"You have a new girl?" Lucas said, a little shocked. He collected himself. "That's good," he said. "Who is she?"

"Oh,um." Nathan quickly adhered. "I don't."

"It's okay." Lucas told him. "It's good. Get yourself together, move on."

Nathan was silent. Finally, he turned away a bit. "Is she really gone?" Lucas didn't have anything to say. "I mean, she's never coming back to me, is she?"

Slowly and reluctantly, Lucas shook his head. "Who's your girl?" he whispered.

"Hey, Nate," called a voice from the other side of the court. Lucas turned around, Nathan desperately trying to stop him, wishing so hard that she wasn't there and he could just disappear.

"I was looking for you," Taylor said, walking toward them wrapped in Nathan's oversized sweater. She nodded with recognition at Lucas.

"Hey, Lucas," she said, and almost as an act of defiance, she kissed Nathan.

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Lucas stared after Nathan and Taylor in disbelief. How could he do that? How could she do that? Why would they do that? Nathan hadn't seemed to into it, he pushed her off of him and kind of muttered about something, but Taylor treated him like they'd been sleeping together for a while now. At least Nathan looked like he felt a little guilty. And Lucas always knew Taylor was a slut, he just didn't see why Nathan would fall for it. He also felt like he had to tell Haley. He himself had said they were over, but what Nathan didn't know was that Haley had been calling him from New York, seeing how he was doing. She still loved him, no matter what she was doing. He reached into his pocket for his cell, but a piece of paper fell out. _Briar Allen, _it read, _322 468 8242_.

The girl. With the Marc Jacobs shirt. Fuck, he thought, maybe I should of called her. Her assistant, or whatever. Reluctantly, he dialed the number.

"Hello, Briar Allen." Briar answered efficiently.

"Uh, hi," Lucas answered, a little thrown off. He had no idea what to say.

"Hello? Excuse me?" Briar continued briskly. "If you're calling about the club, I can send you a promotional leaflet. We're open 7 pm to 5 am weekends only. I'd be happy to set up with an appointment to view the space, if you're interested.

"Oh, no." Lucas said hurriedly. "Actually, I was calling about Alex."

"Alex."

"Yeah, see, I kind of bumped into her a few days ago and ripped her shirt or something, and she told me to call you about paying for it."

"Okay. Hold on one second," she whispered to someone in the background. "So we obviously can't accept payments over the phone, so why don't you come to my office this afternoon with a credit card and we'll deal with it then."

"Sure," he said.

"I assume you've heard of Night. Let's say 4:30. Just ask for me at reception."

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"Haley!" shouted Chris as soon as she left the stage. "That," he pointed in the direction she had just came from, "was amazing." He swung her into her arms and kissed her. She laughed a little.

"Yeah, that was really good," Jessica told her as she walked by.

"Ouch," shouted Michelle. "Haley, help me!" Her guitar strap was tangled in her hair. Patiently, Haley undid it. "Thanks, babe," she called, rushing on stage.

"Good luck!" Haley called after them.

"Let's get something to eat," Chris said, and Haley nodded. As she was picked up her jacket, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hals. It's Lucas."

"Hey! What's up?" she asked, happy he was calling.

"Not much. What's up with you? How's the tour going? Where are you?" Lucas asked.

"Well, we're in Philadelphia right now. We're leaving tomorrow for North Carolina. I just finished up my show for tonight. It went well."

"Good!" Lucas laughed. "I'm really happy for you." Haley waited.

"Haley, I think I need to tell you something." She said nothing. "I don't know why, but I think you need to know. I think you'd want to know. Before it gets out of hand, and before someone else tells you."

"What?" she asked.

"Nathan and Taylor – they're, well, they're sleeping together. Is the best way I can think of describing it."

Haley froze.

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"Jake, Jake," Peyton said, relieved, when he answered the phone. "I've been calling you all afternoon. Where are you?"

"I --," he began.

"No, wait," she interjected. "She called. She said she'd hired and private detective. She wants Jenny, Jake."

"I know," he said. "Look, I'm in the state jail. They're arresting me for kidnapping."

"I'm coming to get you."

"No, you can't," he said fast. "You need to go to my mom's and get Jenny. Take her away, please. I'm underage. They won't let me keep her. I can't let this happen to her, Pey. She's already going to have bad enough of a life as it is."

Peyton swallowed hard. She ran her hand over the plastic table, and shifted in her chair a little. Lunch was over, and people were getting up and moving out, but she just sat there, lost.

"Peyton?"


End file.
